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A new study by PSU community health faculty links increased rates of obesity among Hispanic immigrants to their length of residence in the United States. Hispanics now make up the largest and fastest-growing minority group in Oregon.

The study by Mark Kaplan of Portland State University's School of Community Health, and co-authored by researchers at PSU and Oregon Health & Science University, found that longer-term Hispanic immigrants (over 15 years) experienced almost four-times greater risk of obesity than did recent immigrants (less than 5 years), when data was adjusted for factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, several socio-demographic characteristics, and access to health services.

The report concludes that the higher risk for obesity associated with length of residence may be due to acculturation processes, such as the adoption of unhealthy dietary practices and sedentary lifestyle behaviors in the United States. Results of this study, published in the November 2004 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and funded by the Northwest Health Foundation, may facilitate the planning of public health interventions directed at those populations at greatest risk.